At least 175 people were killed in an airstrike on a primary school in Iran, the country’s authorities have said. The Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' elementary school in Minab was destroyed during the launch of a joint US-Israeli bombing campaign on February 28. The strike has been condemned by Unesco as a “grave violation of humanitarian law”.
Nearly two weeks after the strike, a preliminary inquiry has reportedly found the United States was at fault, US officials and others familiar with the investigation have told the New York Times. Local authorities said the school was struck by a missile in an attack on the first day of the US-Israeli strikes, which began around 10am IRST (6am GMT). The school was occupied as Iran runs on a six-day working week from Saturday to Thursday.
The school was situated just 200 ft away from a nearby naval base belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Satellite images show those buildings reduced to rubble. The school reportedly had no association with the IRGC for the last nine years and had been marked by colourful walls and paintings. Footage circulating on social media showed the building had been destroyed with remnants of school books seen among the rubble.
Initial reports claimed five fatalities after the strike, with the death toll later rising to 85. By Saturday evening, officials said that 108 students had been killed. On Sunday evening, local prosecutors said the death toll had increased to 165 with a further 95 injured. The most recent reported death toll stands at 175.
In the days since the incident, there have been multiple statements made by US officials, and President Donald Trump - though not always appearing to be on the same page. A US investigation is still underway but early evidence pointed towards American involvement. Military investigators, using evidence from data analysts reviewing satellite imagery, video footage and social media, believe that the school was hit by a precision strike and may have been hit more than once.
Trump, when asked about the incident a week later, blamed Iran. “No, in my opinion, based on what I’ve seen, that was done by Iran,” he told reporters. New footage that emerged 10 days after the attack appeared to show a Tomahawk missile striking the ground in the vicinity of the school.
